aLkaLiNE said:
If you can't afford $60 a year ($5 a month) on an online subscription (where WoW players pay $75 every 6 months to play a single game) that grants you access to online play, cloud features (share play, cloud saving), 4-6 free games a month and steep discounts on a weekly basis for popular games then you might be in the wrong market. We are a tech driven niche after all right? What's the point in pursuing the medium if no advancements are made? A lot of the innovation comes from the hardware side of things, but just as much has to do with software, and networking/infrastructure. Without the Ps+ requirement, which is driving profit for the division, we would very likely see a largely scaled back effort with AAA marketing rights, investment in first party IP/output and R&D spent on riskier ventures. Look at PSVR for example. First to console market, but it also has to forge a new path not yet traveled by anyone else and they surely weren't profitable out the gate. What allows such a product to exist? PS+ helps offset the cost of things like that. Hard to imagine how Sony would have looked this gen without the extra income generated by that service. I'll gladly contribute my $5 a month since it will be returned in spades with free games and the savings I get on PSN, besides the most obvious point of being allowed to play online. |
What innovations have been made? I can play online on my PC for free and it's a far better experience than whatever Sony and MS can offer.
If Sony can't afford to innovate without charging for online than they shouldn't be in the business to begin with.
Sony's subscription shouldn't include online play. Let people pay for the "free" games and discounts. I imagine the amount of subscribers would greatly decline though (further driving home the point that most consumers only pay for this subscription for the online play, and not the "free" games or discounts).
"The strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must" - Thoukydides
